Love your club
By David Barnes – RBM Central QLD
The recent weather has made me reflect on what a (my) club means to me. Sometimes we take for granted that our club is, and always will be, there. Well, during recent times questions have been raised as to whether some of our clubs will remain.
What does our club mean to the community? In a lot of cases our clubs are more than ‘just a bowling club’. Bowls clubs can also be a:
- card club
- craft club
- venue for dancing
- mental health club
- place to eat
- place to sit and have a chat with friends
- place to meet members of the community you may not otherwise see
- function centre for a birthday party, christening, wake or Christmas party
- place to come and have a bowl and some fun
- place to win a raffle.
Our club is an important part of the community and we need to make sure we support it during both good times and bad. The resilience I have seen in recent times by members of clubs affected by flooding has been nothing short of outstanding. It has given me a great deal of pride to witness these members with their ‘never say die’ attitude and hear stories about what their club means to them. The support of the local community and surrounding bowls clubs has been wonderful.
Our clubs need our support financially to continue and to grow within the community. We need to be inclusive within our community to encourage people from all walks of life to come along and enjoy all the offerings that our clubs have.
It’s easy to take things for granted, but we sometimes don’t know what we have until it’s gone. Our clubs offer enjoyment for people of all ages and diverse backgrounds.
I love my club and I want to continue to support it, so that it is there for me during the good times and the bad.
